The present invention relates generally to unlatching systems and particularly to an automatic vehicle trunk release system which unlatches and opens a vehicle trunk automatically upon detecting prescribed conditions existing within the vehicle trunk.
Traditionally, vehicle trunks are accessed manually using, for example, a key-lock system disposed at the rear of the vehicle, a release lever disposed in the interior of the vehicle, or some other remote device located outside the vehicle trunk. Recent developments known in the art teach a manually operated trunk latch release mechanism disposed on the interior of a vehicle trunk operational from inside the vehicle trunk.
It will be appreciated that in certain circumstances an automatic release of a vehicle trunk is desired. Traditional vehicle trunk access systems, however, do not allow for an automatic trunk release thereby requiring an operator to monitor the vehicle trunk for the occurrence of such circumstances and then to manually unlatch and open the vehicle trunk when appropriate. This traditional method of releasing a vehicle trunk in response to certain circumstances demands time and energy from the operator and is subject to failure due to human error.
According to the present invention, a system for monitoring an enclosure, e.g. a vehicle trunk, for a set of parameters and for opening the enclosure upon detecting the set of parameters is provided. The system comprises a sensing device disposed in the enclosure for detecting a plurality of events in the enclosure, a comparator connected to the sensing device for comparing the plurality of events to the set of parameters, a timer connected to the comparator for determining a time elapse of the plurality of events, a signal device further connected to the comparator for transmitting a signal when the plurality of events reaches or exceeds the set of parameters, and a controller connected to the signal device for receiving the signal and for opening the enclosure.
In a preferred embodiment the enclosure comprises a trunk of a vehicle. The set of parameters comprises a maximum carbon dioxide gas concentration, a maximum air temperature, and the occurrence of motion within the vehicle trunk. Upon detecting the parameters, the system unlatches and opens the vehicle trunk and, further, sounds an alarm to alert those outside the vehicle that an undesirable condition has resulted in the trunk of the vehicle.